227: Fundraising with Integrity: Why Success is More Than Just Dollars Raised with Esther Saehyun Lee

In this powerful episode of What the Fundraising, Mallory is joined by Esther Saehyun Lee, a community-centric fundraiser, principal, and founder of Elevate Philanthropy Consulting. Esther brings a critical and necessary perspective to the conversation around fundraising culture, power dynamics in the nonprofit sector, and how we can challenge the harmful aspects of the nonprofit industrial complex.

Mallory and Esther invite listeners to sit in the discomfort of recognizing that we are all complicit in upholding harmful nonprofit structures—and that awareness is a necessary first step toward meaningful change. They explore how fundraisers influence organizational culture, the intersection of individual agency and systemic responsibility, and why fundraisers must lean into values-aligned fundraising rather than perpetuating scarcity-driven mindsets.

If you’ve ever struggled with the tension between the change you want to create and the systems you feel stuck in, this episode will give you insight, inspiration, and practical steps forward.

Tips & Takeaways for Fundraisers:

• Recognize Your Influence: Fundraisers shape organizational culture—don’t underestimate your power.
• Interrogate ‘What Works’: If a fundraising strategy brings in money but upholds harmful power dynamics, does it truly work?
• Challenge Scarcity Mindset: Scarcity is both a real material condition and a limiting belief. Shift from extraction to abundance-based thinking.
• Define New Success Metrics: Instead of just tracking dollars raised, measure relationship-building, board engagement, and donor stewardship.
• Find Your Community: Change doesn’t happen alone—connect with like-minded fundraisers and community-centric fundraising spaces.

Get all the resources from today’s episode here. 

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If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point